Material handling systems are commonly used in manufacturing environments, wherein the material handling systems transport payloads between various locations or processes. Conventional material handling systems comprise conveyors, track systems, robotic systems, as well as various other systems, and are typically floor-mounted or ceiling-suspended structures. Floor-mounted structures are typically easier to maintain than their ceiling-mounted counterparts, however the floor-mounted material handling systems can take up valuable real estate in a manufacturing facility. Furthermore, the floor-mounted systems can congest the manufacturing environment when used with various other manufacturing equipment, thus making pedestrian navigation through the production floor more difficult. Accordingly, where appropriate, overhead material handling systems can provide the required transportation of payloads while maximizing floor space utilization, since the overhead systems typically occupy unused overhead or ceiling areas of the production space.
Various types of overhead material handling systems have been developed over the years; one of the most popular being the monorail system, wherein a material carrier travels between the various locations or processes along a suspended track. An exemplary conventional material carrier is generally self-propelled, wherein the material carrier has an internal power source and drive motor, thus enabling the carrier to translate itself along a non-powered monorail.
Maintenance, carrier testing, and various other off-line functions associated with the material carrier, however, can be difficult to perform while the material carrier is physically coupled to the monorail track. Typically, the material carrier is removed from the track in order to perform such maintenance or off-line functions. Removing the conventional material carrier typically comprises de-energizing the carrier, removing the drive motor, and/or removing couplings that couple the carrier to the track. Such a removal can be cumbersome and time consuming, especially when performed in an overhead environment, since the person removing the carrier is typically standing on a ladder or other elevated structure.
Furthermore, in a typical production environment, several material carriers concurrently travel along the same main monorail track. In order to not inhibit production flow during maintenance of a particular material carrier, the carrier is conventionally moved to a stub track for removal. The stub track typically comprises a small section of non-powered track coupled to the main monorail track, wherein a path of the carrier along the main track can be momentarily switched to divert the carrier onto the stub track. In order to prevent the carrier from traveling off an end of the stub track during the diversion, removable track blocks are placed at the end of the stub track. In conventional systems, when the material carrier is removed from the stub track in order to perform maintenance or other functions, the track blocks are not typically removed from the stub track. Consequently, the conventional track blocks have not been designed for easy removal and replacement, and generally comprise various screws or bolts that are screwed onto the track. Such conventional track blocks can be cumbersome to remove, especially in an overhead environment.
Therefore, it would be highly desirable to provide an overhead material handling system, wherein the material carrier can be maintained while remaining on an overhead stub track. Furthermore, when removal of the carrier from the stub track is necessary, an improved track block is desirable, such that the improved track block can be easily removed and replaced in the overhead environment.